Tessa Gray and the Condemned Clockwork
by dogestiel
Summary: The TID cast in the HP world. It all started when Tessa received her acceptance letter. Nate had told her stories of the magical boarding school he attended, but she had never dreamed she'd be able to go herself. Now, she's facing all new tasks, embarking on adventures, and making new friends- and enemies. However, when a new foe appears that threatens Hogwarts, how will she react?
1. A New World

**A/N: Hey guys! This is a new fanfic I've been wanting to write, and I'd really like to know what you think of it? If you guys like it, I think I'll continue it more. I plan to bring in Jem and Will in the Train Station in case you're wondering where they are! Please review! Thanks!**

**Ps: I don't own the characters nor the world, both those things are either Cassie C's or JKR's**

* * *

Tessa had received her letter on the first day of July, at exactly 3:12 pm. It initially hadn't been her who had picked up the letter that had been laid on her doorstep, but rather her cousin, Nate. He ran to her room directly after seeing who it was addressed to, yelling, "Tessie, there's a letter for you!"

At the time Nate had burst into her room, letter in hand, Tessa had been reading a book, and the general rambunctiousness of his actions startled her away from the words she had gotten lost in. Slipping a bookmark into the book, she placed it on her nightstand and looked over at Nate, who seemed to be about to burst with excitement. "What is it, Nate?" She asked, looking at him curiously. It wasn't like to him to get so worked up over small things, and a letter hardly seemed cause for celebration.

"The letter," He said, holding out the small envelope, which was sealed with a maroon stamp, clearly molded from the finest wax. "It's from Hogwarts." Now Tessa understood why Nate was smiling goofily and giving her a proud look: Hogwarts was the school he went to himself, and Tessa hardly dreamed she'd be able to attend it someday. It wasn't as though Tessa wasn't smart enough to be accepted- for an eleven year old she was actually quite precocious, but she had never thought she'd possessed the one talent Hogwarts looked for in all its students: magic.

Nate had been classified as a wizard several years back, and had received an acceptance letter of his own from Hogwarts, which had made Tessa quite envious. She had always thought herself to be what the wizards called 'Muggles', or rather a non-magical human. However, seeing Nate standing in front of her, holding out a letter that could change her future, Tessa felt a wave of hope come crashing through her.

Reaching out and grabbing the letter, Tessa tore open the wax seal and pulled out the paper inside. Unfolding the parchment it was written on, and placing the envelope it had come in down, her eyes darted across the paper, and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. After she had finished reading it, she let out an excited squeal. "I was accepted! Nate, I'm going to be attending Hogwarts with you!"

"Brilliant, Tessie! Perhaps you'll be in Slytherin, same as me." Nate gave her an encouraging wink, and she could feel her mouth turn upwards into a grin. He still had the same British accent, despite their family moving to New York four years ago. It was probably due to the fact that he went to a British school, whereas Tessa had transferred to a local New York school, and had quickly shed her accent. Most people wouldn't think the two related, since Nate had curling blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a British accent, yet Tessa had frizzy brown hair, gray eyes, and an American accent; however, Tessa knew that Nate, despite their differences, would always be like a brother to her.

"Slytherin?" She had heard him mention the name before, but was rather curious as to what it meant. "What's that?"

"That's the house I'm in," Nate explained, his eyes glinting with something similar to pride. "You'll get sorted into one of four houses, but they'll explain that when you get there." Some of the excitement had drained from his face, but she could tell he was glad she was going to be attending his school. "We ought to tell Harriet the news."

Tessa shuddered at the thought of having to tell Aunt Harriet about Tessa's acceptance; it wasn't as though her aunt despised wizards, Tessa just knew that Aunt Harriet had been glad she had one 'normal' relative, and she couldn't help but feel that by telling her aunt the news, Tessa would disappoint her. Yet, she knew she had to tell Aunt Harriet sooner or later, and Tessa figured the former would be more preferable than the latter. "I suppose, though I'm not sure how I'm going to break it to her." Glancing over to her bookshelf, which was the only thing inside her bedroom besides her own bed, Tessa wondered which books she'd bring to Hogwarts.

"I'll tell her for you, if you want," Nate offered, seeing her slightly worried expression. "And since I'm entering my fifth year, I think I'll be able to bring you to Diagon Alley without Harriet."

She recalled that Diagon Alley was where Nate shopped for his school supplies, and prior to this year, Tessa wasn't allowed to go with him. If Aunt Harriet really did let Nate take Tessa there all by himself, she figured she'd have a much more pleasant experience, since Nate said Harriet was a nightmare to go with the first time around.

"That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed, placing the letter back in its envelope. "We'll be able to have so much fun together, it'll be just like in all those fantasy books I've read." Tessa wondered what adventures she'd be able to go on once she reached Hogwarts, and anticipation was bubbling inside of her.

"Great! As the letter says, the train leaves on September 1st, so we have plenty of time to buy your school supplies," Nate said. Tessa didn't want to have to wait to go to Diagon Alley, but she knew she had to be patient, otherwise she'd end up going when they didn't have all the school supplies in stock.

"I still can't believe I was accepted…" Tessa let her sentence trail off. There had been occurrences where she had shown some magical ability. For instance, once, when she had been roughly 9 years old, she had been agonizing over cleaning up her bookshelf, when she had looked up to see it immaculate, with all the books organized. However, she had taken the event to be nothing more than an odd occurrence, thinking she had unknowingly done all the work. But now she knew what it really was- magic.

"Well you were, and I should go tell Harriet now," Turning to leave her room, Nate had made it almost all the way out the door before he stopped and looked back at Tessa. "You'll really love Hogwarts, Tessie." Then he left, undoubtedly to go deliver the news to Harriet.

Looking down at the envelope on her bed, Tessa still couldn't believe how her life's path had changed due to one letter.

* * *

Despite summer days being longer, July passed before Tessa in a blur of flowers and humidity, making for a rather unmemorable month. With each moment, she could feel her excitement growing for the start of school. Nate had convinced Aunt Harriet to let them go to Diagon Alley by themselves, and he had promised to show Tessa the best spots in town.

They had planned to go on August 4th, and now the date was rapidly approaching. On August 1st, Tessa couldn't stop thinking about purchasing her supplies. On August 2nd, Tessa was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet with excitement. On August 3rd, she could hardly read due to her hands shaking from anticipation. Finally, on August 4th, she woke up early enough to prepare for her trip, her face plastered permanently into a wild grin.

Braiding her hair, Tessa pinned it up into a tight bun, feeling like dressing up for this occasion. She picked out her favorite dress, a tiny black one with a lacy fabric, and merrily glided downstairs in a state of pure euphoria.

When she arrived in the dining room, she was surprised to see Nate already sitting at the table, eating a piece of toast. He looked up and grinned at Tessa, showing his neat set of white teeth. "Wonderful, you're all ready. We can head out right after you finish your breakfast."

Tessa hadn't realized how hungry she was, due to her thoughts mainly being on Diagon Alley, but now, seeing food in front of her, she could feel her stomach growling. Sitting down next to Nate, she selected a piece of toast on the plate in front of them, and spread a light layer of jam on it. Eating in in several bites, Tessa could hardly wait to leave. "Alright, let's go now." She got up from her seat and started for the door when Nate's words stopped her.

"We're not going to need a door, Tessie," Nate said, his voice underlined with hints of mischievousness. "I got my hands on some floo powder, which underage wizards aren't supposed to buy, so let's keep it our little secret."  
"Floo powder?" Tessa repeated, confused. "What?"

"It basically takes you to wherever you need to go. You step into the fire, throw it down, shout the name of the place you want to go and-poof, there you are. If you get lost during the process, head to Gringotts, alright?" He pulled a small bag of silver powder out of his pocket, and showed it to her. "I'll show you how to do it, then you do _exactly as I do_."  
Nodding in response, though she didn't know what Gringotts was, Tessa watched as Nate pinched some of the floo powder out of the bag, handed her what was left, stepped into the fire, and threw the powder down. Immediately he was covered in flames, and Tessa let out a small yelp of surprise. "Diagon Alley!" She heard Nate cry, and then the flames died down to reveal he was no longer there. Staring at the small pouch of floo powder she had left in her hands, she pinched some and walked over to the fire place, trembling slightly. Stepping inside, she threw the powder down, same as Nate had, and was engulfed in green spiraling flames. Inhaling, she felt a sharp pain in her chest, as though the fire was burning inside her. Letting out a small cough, she did her best to cry, "Diagon Alley!"

Suddenly, she felt as though she were spinning. Her head was pounding, and her eyes burned, causing tears to well in them. Why hadn't Nate told her about what would happen?  
Suddenly the spinning stopped, and she felt herself thrust forward. She toppled and fell, her vision blurry, and landed on the cold, hard cement. Standing up hastily and brushing herself off, Tessa looked up at the sign in front of her. It read "Diagon Alley" in curling letters, and Tessa beamed, proud she had managed to use floo powder correctly. Turning to flash Nate a grin, Tessa realized two things. 1. She didn't have the foggiest idea where in Diagon Alley she was, and 2. Nate was nowhere in sight.


	2. Diagon Alley

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for not updating for a bit (I was away at camp), but I'm back now with a new chapter! If any of you are curious, I'm thinking that Will and Jem are going to enter the story on Platform 9 3/4.**

**The-Finale-Hope: Thank you so much! :)**

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Tessa tried to stay calm, even though every bone in her body was telling her to panic. It wouldn't have been so terrible if Tessa had actually known where she was, but all she knew about this place was that it was called 'Diagon Alley'... and that she was completely alone.

Suddenly, she remembered something Nate had said before. He had told her to head over to Gringotts if she were lost. However, Tessa immediately realized a rather big flaw with that plan- she didn't know what Gringotts was. She desperately wanted to ask someone, but the parade of people passing by her all seemed rather frightening with their bright colored robes, pointed hats, and wooden sticks- which Tessa assumed to be their wands- sending off sparks and bursts of color. Tessa would've thought it to be awe-inspiring had she not been in her current situation.

Scanning the area for anyone who seemed to be friendly, or at least closer to her age, Tessa's eyes finally landed on a pair of boys who seemed to currently in an argument. One of the boys seemed to be several years older than the other one, and Tessa couldn't help but notice the similarity in the physical appearance of the two. Both had pale skin and brilliantly green eyes, and each had the same angular features; it was obvious that the two were related. The younger one looked to be a year older than Tessa and had tousled dark brown hair, whereas the older one, whom Tessa assumed was his brother, seemed to be the same age as Nate and had a mess of sandy blonde hair. She wanted to approach them and ask where she might be able to find Gringotts, but their fight lessened her eagerness. The younger one seemed to be gesturing broadly with hands in an animated fashion to prove his point, and Tessa could make out bits of their conversation, even though she was roughly 30 feet away.

"Gabriel, you don't need new robes," said the older of the two.

"Honestly Gideon, I don't see what the big deal is; father gave us enough money for them, and I've been outgrowing my previous ones," whined the younger brother, who Tessa figured was Gabriel. "I'm already almost as tall as you are." At these words, Tessa noticed the older brother-Gideon, she had heard Gabriel call him- flush slightly, clearly looking embarrassed.

"Well if you're almost as tall as I am, you could use some of my old robes," Gideon suggested in an almost parental tone, and Gabriel's eyebrows shot up upon hearing his brother's proposition.

Laughing, as though the idea were ridiculous, Gabriel said, "A hand-me-down? You've got to be joking! Don't be silly, let's just go buy me some new robes, alright?" Gabriel smiled, as though the argument was settled, but Gideon didn't look pleased.

"It'll build good character. I actually think it'd be a great idea to let you use my old robes; that way we could use the leftover money to purchase you a better broomstick." Though Tessa couldn't see the two closely, she could tell that Gabriel gave his brother a look of horror.

"Or we could just ask father for more money for the broomstick. _Really_ Gideon, just let me buy my robes. I don't want your old ones."

Tessa figured that she needed to ask the two where Gringotts was quickly, otherwise they'd leave for another shop, so, steeling herself, she walked over to them. Even though Tessa knew it would be rude to interrupt their argument, she was still in a panic over being completely alone, and so far these two were the only wizards who were somewhat close to her own age. Gabriel seemed to notice her approaching, and actually shot her a look of puzzlement before she stopped in front of them. "Can I help you?" asked Gabriel, not sounding like he wanted to help her at all. Tessa saw Gideon purse his lips at Gabriel's tone, but he didn't say anything; instead, he just looked at Tessa quizzically, waiting for her response.

"Sorry for bothering you," Tessa replied quickly, feeling guilty that she had interrupted their conversation.

"If you really felt that awful you wouldn't have done it in the first place," he snapped, looking rather put off. Tessa realized that he would have actually been quite attractive if it weren't for his constant look of disdain and superiority. "Now what did you want?"

Feeling rather indignant towards this boy's discourteous attitude, Tessa had half a mind to just turn around and leave; however, she knew she could not, for she still had to find Nate, and these boys seemed to be her best hope. Swallowing hard, she pushed back all her anger, and asked, in the calmest voice she could manage, "I was wondering if you two wouldn't mind directing me to Gringotts?"


End file.
